AN: I don't own Naruto or Star Wars.

An'ya Kuro knew much about the Chommell Sector from the information given to her by Master Tahl and the archive. The people of Naboo were human, many doing their best to trace their lineage back to the original settlers of Naboo. It made for an interesting read, though it was rather dry compared to some of the other planets she had to read.

This though, was different completely. These creatures were certainly sentient and seemed rather…welcoming, and had led her to a lake. It had taken a second of confusion, but seeing them move into the water gave her the warning needed to grab her rebreather so as to follow them.

The view was breathtaking, and were it not for the fact she had seen many sights that were so diverse that she simply let herself observe the bubble-like structures that were these creatures homes. The glow of light that came from it was spectacular, making her pause in her approach. When they walked through the bubble, she hesitantly followed them in, blinking at the sensation of walking into an area that was both dry and rather temperate. It wasn't like the atmosphere of the planet above in terms of a city like Theed, but from a more humid standpoint like the swamp it was rather similar.

She could hear the chatter of the others, some calling out in greeting of their fellow…whatever their species was. Others were calling for something else, or rather someone else named Rugor. Her eyes roamed the inside of the bubbles, noticing behind them that there were several bubbles that seemed to be in construction. So there was plenty more that they were doing with the place? Interesting.

Seeing someone approaching her, she bowed to them as they road up on a kaddu, one of the indigenous creatures of the world. "Hey, whosa yousa?"

"My name is of no concern, however you may refer to me as the Dark Woman. I am a Jedi Master from off of the planet Naboo." Kuro said slowly, keeping her eyes on them. "I was tasked with finding the person who was causing trouble for the people of Naboo, and upon realizing that we had received no information from you and your people, I determined that I needed to learn more from…" She glanced to them with a curious look. "…forgive me if I am very ignorant to your species. There…was no information as to even your existence."

The male on the kaddu snorted, slipping off the creature and standing before him. "Wesa are da Gungan's. Wesa have been around longer dan da Naboo, und we have built much undah watah. I am Roos Tarpals. Welcome to Otoh Gunga Dark Woman."

Kuro nodded slowly, the accent of the Gungan simple enough to understand though a bit grating on her nerves. "Otoh Gunga. It is a pleasure to meet your people Roos." Sinking into the Force, she took a deep breath as she focused on what to ask. "With your permission, may I receive an audience with your leader? I need to know about a human who has been roaming the swamps and causing trouble near your borders."

"You wantah speak with da boss?" Roos raised an eyebrow at this, but seemed more bemused. "We were gonna take yousa to da boss anyway."

"…I hope I wasn't intruding on your land upon coming here. It wasn't my intention. I was simply following the Force."

"Da Force?" Roos said, glancing to another Gungan curiously. Shrugging, he shook his head. "You were on our land, but wesa simply want yousa to meet with da boss."

"Then that's where I need to be." Kuro replied, having heard enough from him and from the Force that this boss was who she needed to speak with. "By your leave…"

X-=-x

"Whossa dis?"

Kuro looked to the Gungan, who had been introduced as Boss Rugor Nass, with a scrutinizing look in her eyes. The Gungan was a much burlier looking Gungan, with a more thickset look than some of the others she'd seen. Rather than having a thin neck and orange skin, he had a thick neck and green skin; likely he was among the subspecies of the Gungan. He had been walking through the halls of Otoh Gunga, giving orders and she'd even seen him step forward and help adjust some of the power levels on one of the devices that was being worked on.

She bowed to the boss in a show of respect. "I am known as the Dark Woman, a Jedi from Coruscant, come to assist in finding someone who's been causing problems near here."

"Hm…" Boss Nass muttered, looking her over. "Why did yousa come here then?"

"I was told I was to come to assist the 'residence of Naboo'. They didn't specify which residents." Kuro smirked slightly at that, enjoying that slight loophole in wording. "It would also stand to reason that your people would have more knowledge as to the on goings in the swamp."

"Why should wesa be helping yousa? Wesa no care about da Naboo." Boss Nass said, clicking his lips in annoyance.

"Because whoever is doing this has killed someone, likely wouldn't think twice about killing one of you, and if I don't find out what they're doing in your swamp than it's possible that things could go sour." Raising her hands, she stared at the Boss with her voice slightly laced with the Force. "Perhaps, rather than speak about this in the streets, we can go somewhere that we can discuss this?"

Boss Nass hummed softly, thinking it over. Turning to the other Gungan's, he barked out a few orders to get them back to work as he walked down the hall away from where they were working. "Come!"

Kuro glanced to Roos, who was shaking his head. Seeing her look, he shrugged. "Is like da boss to do dat. Maybe dissa be a good ting, maybe dissa be a bad ting. Only one way to find out."

Nodding, she made her way down the hallway, eyes going over the watery view. While it wasn't the airy, sun filled land of the surface, there was no denying that Otoh Gunga held just as much beauty in it as Theed; if a different, unique quality to that made it quite obvious that it wasn't made by the people of Naboo. Seeing the two different kinds of Gungan walking around, she turned to Roos. "What is the difference between the two types of Gungan's? I see that there are many of you with different physiology…"

"Is two different kind of Gungan. One is Ankura, da other is da Otolla. Gungan's have long history, mucha wars we be havin, but we come togethah as Gungan's to form Otoh Gunga." Roos motioned to the city around them. "Dis is what Gungan's can do. Dis is da strength of working togethah."

Kuro nodded, filing that slip of the tongue for later. "It's like nothing I've seen on any world I've ever been to. There's so many things about Naboo that are…surprisingly unique. The technology, the interworking and methods just can't be found anywhere else so far as I've seen. Then again, your species is found nowhere else in the universe."

"Eh?" Roos asked, not seeming to understand exactly what she meant.

Kuro shrugged. "It's nothing. I just…sometimes I forget that there are some species that haven't expanded beyond their home world." Seeing Roos' very perplexed, and distant expression, she sighed as she realized that she might've said to much. "I'm sorry if that sounds critical, but it's very true. There are even some species that went so far as to submit to slavery in order to help their species expand throughout the universe. To think that there are some that remain on their home world is…commendable I suppose."

Without the last words, she might've convinced him that she was simply making an observation. However, with them Roos found himself glancing towards the ceiling of their bubble, eyes looking past to the surface of the water. Beyond that, he knew the surface of the swamps, but even further? To the cities of Naboo? To the skies above? Few Gungan's ever dreamed of such things, and many of those ended up being recruited to deep sea exploration instead as that was the closest thing any of them knew to the unknown region of the skies and beyond.

He was broken from his musings as he almost ran into a younger Gungan who stumbled through the halls. "Hey! Jar Jar, what is you doing?"

"Eh? Oh, heyo captin Tarpals! Long timeo no see." The new Gungun, Jar Jar, greeted Tarpals with a grin.

"Ayah," Roos palmed his face with a groan of dissatisfaction. "Jar Jar, yousa be getten yourself into trouble onea des days."

"I'ma getting bettah though! Maybe mesa even be strong enough for da Big Nasty Free-For-All next year!" Jar Jar stood up straight, flexing his muscles. Though Kuro was not expert on Gungan physiology, she was fairly certain he was simply average, though he seemed to think he was more.

"Jar Jar, what is you doin' here?" Roos asked, knowing that no matter what he asked, it wouldn't be what he expected, or wanted to hear.

"Mesa trainin'!" Jar Jar said, hopping in place as he flexed his legs. "Mesa gettin' ready!"

"Jar Jar, we just had Big Nasty Free-For-All."

"But next year mesa get further in da Free-For-All!"

Kuro glanced between the two of them sensing that there was something she was missing between these two. Likely Jar Jar was a troublemaker, as each move he made was scrutinized by Roos. Thinking it over, she sighed and placed a hand on Jar Jar's shoulder and focused on the Force. While she wasn't sure about how strong Gungan's willpower was, or if they were resistant to the Mind Trick, she figured that something simple and subtle would not only allow her to quickly test this but help Roos. In her mind, it was simply her way of helping Roos for all that he had been doing to help her.

"Jar Jar, why don't you focus? After all, you sound quite convinced. Perhaps, a bit more practice on coordinating so that you can put what you know to the best of use?" She said, her words guided carefully by the Force.

Jar Jar's eyes went distant for a second, every word she said seemed to hold him on edge. Then, with a nod, he grinned toothily and stepped back. "Yeah, das a great idea! Mesa do dat right now!"

Watching as Jar Jar put one step literally in front of the other to 'coordinate' his movements, she felt Roos looking at her. "…yes Roos?"

"Why you do dat Dark Woman?" Roos asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Jar Jar…mesa know Jar Jar longo time. Good distraction, very clumsy. No good for jobs or othah work."

"Because everyone deserves a chance." Kuro shrugged. "My own students are often considered too violent to be taught, or to out of control for any other teacher. Sometimes all it takes to bring out the very best in a person is…a special touch."

Roos considered what she said, the idea of simply finding the 'right' job for Jar Jar feeling somewhat impossible. Jar Jar had been through so many things already, bouncing from place to place, job to job, and yet still had not found what Jar Jar was good at. His clumsy nature simply made him incompatible with anything any normal being could possibly do.

"Besides," She continued, ignoring Roos' inner turmoil. "Maybe there's something more to him than meets the eyes. You'd be surprised how often the people who you meet have a very…strange effect on those around them." Laughing softly, she shook her head. "My current student, Naruto…he's got that kind of aura. He's go that personality, the kind that'll draw in people and change them in ways they never knew possible."

"Yousa too?" Roos asked, raising a brow in confusion.

"…me? Well," Kuro tapped her chin, pondering that question. "It's certainly possible. However, we'll just have to see if anything will happen I suppose. The Force knows, and the Force will guide me."

"Da Force...?" Roos shook his head. "By du guds, you are a very strange Dark Woman."

"Maybe," Kuro shrugged. "But then, the Force has lead me to wherever I'm needing to go. It has a tendency to take me wherever it pleases after all."

Roos shook his head. Turning back to where Boss Nass had gone, he decided to drop it and move on. Maybe one day he'd actually take the time to try to understand, but right now she just seemed to out there for him to feel he could understand.

x-=-x

If there was anything that Kuro was expecting, it wasn't to be greeted by Boss Nass at a table with a small meal. The Gungan slapped his knee as he chuckled at her stunned expression. There were things from all throughout the waters from fish to strange water dwelling vegetables and the like.

Eating her food slowly, she savored the surprisingly tasty foods that were served as she and Boss Nass talked. He was quite humble, despite his seemingly loud and boisterous nature. He waved off the fact that he'd gotten to such a position at his age despite some others who were more politically qualified due to his leadership abilities and stern but fair treatment of all. Much of what she was learning about him came from Roos, who was thankfully kind enough to fill her in on the details; the strong drink he seemed to have taken a shine to might've added to that though.

"Hesa won da Free-For-All three years in a row!" Roos said with a laugh as Boss Nass tried to wave his hands dismissively. "Mesa was der! Mesa fought him! Like no othah Gungan mesa evah did see!"

"Roos, you did good too! Almost second place winnah if you didn't go against me." Boss Nass said, giving Roos a strong pat on the back. "Best challenge of dem! Is why you are commander in da armies now. Good mind, good arms, and strong leader…dat makes you grand!"

"Oh, you just say dat." Roos said, wobbling in place from the pat on the back. "Mesa still longo way to go before mesa be messin' with yousa again."

"Maybe next festival, yousa show me real good!" Boss Nass said, grinning widely as he took a drink and sighed. "Is good to see da youngin's be gettin' strongah every year! Da Gungan race is filled with da best of peoples!"

"Here here!" Roos said with another laugh, drinking down his own drink. With a slight wobble, he slowly sank to his side, softly moaning in semi-consciousness.

"Hehehe." Boss Nass chuckled, shaking his head at the sight. "But den no othah Gungan can drink me undah da table either! Hahaha!"

"Charming." Kuro said with a roll of her eyes, avoiding the strong drink as she preferred to keep a clear head while discussing with the Gungan. "If I may though, you did have me come back here for a reason, no?"

"Mm." Boss Nass glanced to her, slapping his knee once more. Like the crash of a wave his demeanor changed, from happily guzzling his drink to a man who was leader of the Gungan's, and ready to do business. "Yes. Yousa sayin' you were sent to help da 'residents of Naboo.' Yousa also be sayin' theres be someone out der that be messing with da Naboo?"

"Someone who's either using your swamps as a cover for their activities, or who's searching for something here." Kuro said, nodding to his response. "I've only been here a day, but I'm here to piece things together. If I can't help stop them, then at the very least I can help prepare people for whatever may come next."

"And why is we needin' to be carin' about da Naboo?" Boss Nass asked, his former smile slowly shifting into a frown.

"Because we're not caring for the Naboo. We're caring for Naboo." Kuro corrected him, getting his undivided attention. "Your planet has many materials that might be useful to others from galaxies in the universe; minerals, gems, foliage, a plasma core, even artistically designed structures that have stood for eons. There are corporations who would pay just to see you, and your people, and the people of Naboo, put out of the way so they could get to it."

"And yousa be think, that we be helping ourselves?" Boss Nass asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Perhaps. And perhaps…with the right work, we could bring this to your benefit." Kuro said, the Force now guiding her words. "You're a man of your people, and I do respect your position in that regard. If you were to help me in this investigation, I promise that your name and your people will be given the credit for finding the piece that solved this mystery."

Boss Nass crossed his arms defensively, though his eyes still held a twinkle of curiosity. "And why we be doing dat? We don't need da recognition of da Naboo."

"No, but the help of the Naboo might mean more opportunities for the Gungans. After all, your race was once divided was it not? And because of their unity they built this grand city." Kuro motioned to Otoh Gunga, her face shifting to a look of awe. "If the two Gungans were able to do this…imagine how much could be added from you to them if they had your help?"

Kuro chose her words carefully, though the Force was her true guide in this matter. While her mind wanted initially to say how much the Naboo could benefit them, the Force told her that it would be the Gungans who would help the Naboo. How and why, she did not know; all she needed to know was that she was a vessel for the Force to guide this union of species to make the planet a better place.

Boss Nass considered this silently, mulling over the options placed before him. It was clear that this woman meant what she said, and knew that there were many things that could be benefited from by the people of Naboo. However, "Mesa no thinkin' dis be a grand idea. Mesa be thing dis break Gungans. How do you know dis we should be doing?"

"…I don't." Kuro shook her head, sighing as she found the Force was leaving the direction of the conversation up to her. "However, whatever choice you make, will affect you, and your people, for years to come. I've seen it happen on worlds upon worlds as I've traveled the stars. I don't claim that my advice is the right advice to be giving you, or that the Gungans will become a world power that will spread throughout the galaxy. What I am saying though, is that the choice is here, and I've given you what I can do. To see the Gungans rise even beyond to waters unknown…would be quite the interesting sight to see."

There was a moment of silence as Boss Nass took in what she was saying. He was not the Boss of the Gungans for nothing. Thinking it over, he slowly stood up. Walking over to the edge of the bubble, he hummed as he considered the possibilities.

What she said had brought something to his attention that he hadn't thought of concerning this. While he could imagine the surprise of the Naboo if their technology had bits of their own helping to change, or even power it, he could also see their spacecrafts. He'd seen them before, watched them take off from the safety of the swamp. It was often a sight to behold, as well as a thing of terror at times since they had no idea how such things were meant to work. All of their technology was based on organic things, using bio-mechanical engineering as well as various other methods to achieve their creations so that they could withstand the pressure of the deep and the waters all around them while still giving them access to those same bubbles or vehicles. To have the Naboo teach them about their mechanics…

"Mesa be hearing about a dark shadow cast upon our swamp." Boss Nass said slowly, never turning to face Kuro. "Wesa be hearing, they be searching in da caves, looking for ways to find da core. Wesa no like them in our swamp, and wesa destroyed da caves to keep dem from coming back."

"Ah, so you destroyed that cave?" Kuro asked, recalling the cave which she'd found before she'd found the Gungans.

"Nn. It went near straight down towards de planet core. Notin' of interest besides dat." Boss Nass said, turning to Kuro.

"…but that is of interest." Kuro whispered softly. "If it goes near straight down, then it likely goes over plasma veins. Plasma is a…very sought after commodity. If there were people who were setting up a mining facility, they'd want to get samples of the plasma before they receive it or commit to mining. It's possible –"

"Dat dis'un human is trying to mess with de planet core?" Boss Nass finished with a raised brow at the ludicrous nature of this human. Even though it was plasma, it was still at intense temperatures that couldn't be confronted by normal means."

"He wouldn't even have to go that far. He'd simply need to get to a vein of the plasma, and he'd be able to mine from there, digging deeper until he could get to a vein of plasma rich enough that he could harvest and sell it under the noses of the people of Naboo." Kuro scoffed silently at this idea, shaking her head. "They'd have to be mad to even consider it what with the traffic control alone being a maze to maneuver, but…if they were successful…"

"Den dey would be coming here." Boss Nass growled gruffly, clenching his hand into a fist. "Wesa no likin' dat. Wesa be ready to fight dem if dey try and come!"

"There won't be a need now that I know what they're after." Kuro said, moving to her feet. "Now I know what I'm looking for, which will make finding whoever this is much less of a hassle, and make my work far more coordinated." Thinking it over, she felt the Force drawing her back towards her student and by proxy Theed. "I need to return to the Naboo. What is the fastest way to get there?"

"Hm…" Boss Nass scratched his head, glancing to the waters beside him. "De planet core is de fastest, but also quite dangerous. Bad bammin. Mesa lend up mah finest kaddu. It will take you to des Naboo."

"I thank you for your assistance." Kuro said, holding out her hand to Boss Nass. "We'll take care of the figure, and then I'll see what we can do to help you with the Naboo."

Boss Nass stared at her hand for a moment before gripping it with his own. "Mesa havin' to talk to de council about dis. They no likin' da Naboo…they maybe no likin' dis plan."

"…I know you'll find a way. And if not, then your people will continue in history as the mythical saviors in the swamp." Kuro said with a bemused smile. "Thank you again Boss Nass."

"Don't be tankin' me yet! Mesa still got to convince dem!" Boss Nass slapped his chest gruffly. "Wesa are a grand people! Wesa no be just myth for littleuns."

A full, uninhibited smile adorned her face at that statement. "I'm certain you will."

x-=-x

"And just what do you think you're doing here?"

"Um –"

"This is no place for a kid. Why would you come all this way after…never mind. You're leaving, now."

Naruto stared up at the angry guard, not sure what to do. The little droid next to him warbled nervously, jack still spinning as it tried to finish cleaning up the corrupted and misplaced files. "But sir, you don't understand I –"

"No. You don't seem to understand. This area is sectioned off, and there is an investigation going on."

"Um, yeah about that." Naruto said, trying to get the man's attention. "I'm trying to –"

"To what? Steal an astromech droid and make off like nothing is wrong?"

"What? No! How dare you!" Naruto pulled himself to his feet and stomped his foot. "I hate droids! Why would I steal one?!" Hearing a sad whistle, he glanced to his companion. "You're the exception for now. You're growing on me, but don't push it."

"Will you stop that?"

Naruto winced, and reached out with the Force. "Look, we're here to help, okay?"

The man, Panaka if his nameplate was anything to go by, gave Naruto a deadpanned look as he crossed his arms. "Oh really?"

"Well, it was worth a shot." Naruto inwardly mussed. While he'd trained in all manner of Force techniques, even several of the more obscure ones, he'd struggled, and wrestled with one such technique that simply didn't seem to work out for him; the Mind Trick. He'd learned from his instructors that it was likely due to his own mind putting up a barrier between him and the power due to his nature, but he figured that the Force just didn't want him to be able to get off easy in situations like this. It was a cruel irony, but he got the tradeoff of super awesome other abilities, so he felt he won in the end.

"Alright, I let you slide earlier when we found you asleep in the speeder, but this is much too far." Grabbing Naruto's arm, he attempted to drag him out of the building.

"Hey! Let go of me, this is - wait, you found me in the speeder?" Naruto asked, stumbling forwards as he tried to fight Panaka's the grip on his arm.

"Yes, we found you asleep in the speeder, trying to skip class like a hooligan." Panaka said, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Could one thing go right today?

"What happened to Zel then?"

"Look, I don't care what you're excuse is I…" The question caught Panaka off guard. He'd expected to hear any number of excuses; from 'I was framed' to 'a Wookie ate my homework'. However, he was almost certain that he couldn't have met Zel. "…excuse me?"

"Well, he was my drive. I mean, our driver. My master and I went into the swamp to look at where your guard friend-guy was found, and…well I'd been training before we got here, and I feel asleep." Naruto kicked at the ground sheepishly. "Next thing I knew, I woke up in the middle of a classroom, teaching a bunch of people about the evils of droids and the simplicity of reprogramming them." Remembering his new 'friend' he quickly waved his hand at it. "Don't worry, still not you. I don't even think I know how to mess around with you anyways. Plus, you're cool. You're helping me."

"Your…master?" Those words stuck in Panaka's mind, and he had to physically take a step back to look the boy over.

His tunic and clothing were fairly standard galactic clothing, found almost anywhere in the galaxy. His hair was cut short, though was unruly and spiky on top, with one part on the right side of his face left just a bit longer than the rest. The whisker marks on his cheeks were likely just a birthmark, but now that he looked at them they might've been from some other species from the galaxy. Now that he could see him awake and alert, he could tell that there was something in his stance that warned him that he was facing a trained combatant. What kind of eleven year old was combat ready like this?

The boy, oblivious to his scrutiny, answered the question. "Oh yeah! Master Kuro's still out there last I checked! I should call her." Pulling out his comlink, he flinched as he heard static. "Oi, what gives?" Turning to the droid, he raised an eyebrow to it. "You know anything about this?"

Panaka glanced to the droid, taking notice of it – true notice – and realized that it was plugged into the mainframe and was messing around with it. Looking to the screen behind Naruto, he slowly stepped past the boy to get a better look at it. "…this is…impossible."

"Nah, it was hardware." Panaka turned around, seeing the little device that was in Naruto's hand as he waved it around. "I swear, no one checks the wires anymore. It's kinda sad when you think about it."

Slowly taking the device from Naruto, Panaka scrutinized it thoroughly. It wasn't Naboo made, and it certainly didn't belong anywhere in the room. "Where did you say you find this?"

"In the wiring. Someone had put it there so even if the droid tried to fix things, it would just recorrupt or re-lose the file. Thankfully some genius installed a big flashing red light in it. Then again, if it didn't have a way to show it's working, I guess that would make it kind of pointless." Naruto shrugged, not caring to much as he didn't know a lot about little bugs like that.

It took everything Panaka had to keep from hitting his head against a wall. Something so small, so simple, had not only eluded them, but confounded them for months. They were so certain that it was a software issue, that someone had sent a virus, that none of them had even thought…or had they?

Panaka's eyes widened at that thought. He'd passed people here, good men and women who gave their lives in the service of Naboo. What if…they had found it? What if they'd been killed because of it? Or worse, what if someone within the guard had betrayed them and kept them from seeing it.

Having moved past the boy, his eyes were able to notice the dark figure in the hallway moving towards them. Though unable to see them, he could see one thing; the blaster aimed right at them.

"Get down!"

AN: Yes another cliff hanger, but then we're getting to some of the good bits now!

So, some of the changes I'm making should be pretty obvious by now, but one of the top ideas I've been working on was with Kuro here. Man I've been wanting to do this for a while, especially since the Gungans are actually pretty cool with out their technology works, how their hierarchy was built, and so much more! They just had the misfortune of having Jar Jar be their representative in Episode I.

That being said, it's mainly because the Battle of Naboo will happen. It'll just be...quite different. You'll see.

In the meantime, I'm getting myself all warmed up for some more chase and conflict, in the next chapter of From Darkness. See you all then!